Prep Boys Hoops: Bucs too fast for East in 66-59 win

BELVIDERE — It’s a tall order shooting over East. Belvidere made only four of its first 20 shots against an E-Rab team with four players 6-foot-5 or taller.

But instead of getting rattled, the Bucs sped up and made East play their game. The E-Rabs couldn’t, and Belvidere ran off to a 66-59 NIC-10 boys basketball victory Friday.

The E-Rabs (2-5, 1-2) led 24-9 after closing the first quarter on a 22-5 run.

But the defending NIC-10 champion Bucs (6-1, 3-0) took control with a 21-1 run over the next nine minutes.

“Coach (Aaron Pearson) tells us every day, if we’re down, we have to keep motivated and still come back,” point guard Maurice Jackson (16 points) said. “That’s what we did. When we were down 15, Coach said the only way we were going to win this game is to push it and push it every time we get the ball.”

East blocked nine shots, six by Tony Evans Jr., who also had 10 rebounds. But Evans didn’t make a basket until the final three minutes.

“Our biggest key was big Tony,” Jackson said. “Keep him off the glass and let the other guys shoot. That’s how we came back.”

The Bucs also kept 6-6 Bryant Nolan (11 points and 11 rebounds) from hurting them too bad, with most of East’s scoring coming from guards Brandon James (17 points) and Moise Kashona (11). By keeping the ball out of the hands of East’s big men inside, the Bucs held the E-Rabs to 2-for-25 shooting in the second and third quarters.

“It’s disappointing that we couldn’t execute and keep a large lead like that,” Evans said. “If we keep doing that, it’s going to be a long season.”